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UFO Festival

When it comes to the content of The Fanciful Lobster, my face is usually not the subject. Today I'm all over it, though not for the typical reason:

Every year during the Roswell UFO Festival, the RMAC sponsors two alien costume contests, one for pets, and one for humans. I've already shared my opinion of the whole ufo shtick here, but as a Museum employee I do participate in these events because it's part of my job. In previous years I've served as a judge and tabulator, but this year I offered to be the emcee for the pet costume contest, held in the morning. And since it is an alien costume contest, after all, I decided I should be in character.

Some of the contestants from this year's contest.

I had initially considered building some elaborate costume, but after moving into a smaller apartment with fewer storage areas, I decided I'd rely on the far more compact and portable facepaint. I also considered dyeing my hair temporarily for the event, but ended up going with a blue wig, as the effect would be more dramatic. I also liked having the opportunity to try out a hairstyle I'd normally not wear.

I sent this picture to my sister, and her reaction was something along the lines of "nice smurf wig."

I liked this particular set for its consistency and gentleness on the skin. You can order it here.

So here we go. Here's my face at the beginning of the transformation:

The first thing I did was put on a wig cap to conceal my own hair, a contraption reminiscent of a nylon stocking for your head.

With my hair secured, I began by blocking out my face into major color groups: blue for the forehead to serve as a transition from the wig, dark green for contouring around the eyes and along the sides of my nose, purple to heighten the cheekbones, and a little red to bring a little warmth.

I then filled in the remaining areas with a lighter green, and applied the first layer of white for the areas I wanted to highlight, such as the nose and cheeks.

I then continued to layer up the different colors and started blending them together. I also painted my eyebrows blue to match the wig.

Once the rest of the face was looking reasonably blended I painted in the eyes. I used dark green on the lids, lined the area around the eyelashes with black, and applied a white/blue combination to the skin above the eyelids. I also used a little white along the bottom of the lower lid to bring more attention to the eyes.

I saved the lips for last, knowing they'd be the most awkward to deal with during the day. I decided on purple to continue the color of the cheekbone shadows, and took a little creative liberty while I was at it by giving myself bigger lips.

I continued blending with a dry brush, and added some spots throughout my face. I kept the paint on my neck to a minimum so that it wouldn't get on my clothes, painting a few dots and stripes to extend the effect on my face.

Finally, to finish off the look, I donned the wig.

Start to finish, this probably took about an hour an fifteen minutes. I only had a small brush on me, so it might have taken less time with a makeup sponge for the bigger areas of color.

Overall, it was a fun experience. I enjoyed seeing how I could use the paint to change my features, and transform myself into a different being. Nevertheless, while I can see why so many people enjoy wearing makeup, I don't see myself taking this up on a regular basis.

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